Centrifugal governor.



. L. B- TAYLOR.

CENVTRIFUGAL GOVERNOR.

PLICATION' FILED APB 17,1911

Patented Mar. 4,1919.

UFFIfiE LYNDON B. TAYLOR, 0F NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

CENTRIFUGAL GOVERNOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. I, 19119.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, LYNDON B. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Newport, county'of Newport, and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Centrifugal Governors; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descrip tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same. I

This invention relates to centrifugally operated mechanisms, such as engine governors.

In such devices, a rotatory member carries a set of balls, a plunger or some equivalent weight device, which is'moved away from the axis of rotation by centrifugal force against a suitable yielding resistance, as a spring, whereby when the rotatory member reaches a speed of a predetermined number of revolutions per minute, the plunger or its equivalent may do certain required work.

The particular object of the present invention is to provide an improved arrangement whereby a centrifugally operated mechanism, even after being permanently installed on its rotatory support, may be manually adjusted or readjusted to function when the support attainsany one of a great number of possible rates of speed. In previous devices of this character, the usual construction has involved the use of a weight device of the plunger or sliding type, yieldingly held in inoperative position by means of a suitable spring. In all these previous devices, so far as I am aware, the adjustment of the weight device has been eifected by varying the resiliency of this spring. This arrangement has some serious disadvantages, among whichmay be mentioned inconvenience and uncertainty of adjustment,

unreliability in operation, and inability to a make very fine ad ustments unless the mechanism is unduly complicated or increased in size. 7

In every centrifugally operated mechanism, the center of avity of the weight device is necessarily 0 set to some extent from the axis of rotation; otherwise of course the weight device would not be displaced no matter what the speed. It is also a fact that the less the distance between the center of gravity of the weight device and the axis of rotation of the rotatory member, other factors beingequal, the greater the rate of speed which the rotatory member must at tain before the weight device will be displaced a fixed distance. According to the present invention, means are provided whereby these other factors, and particularly the resiliency ofthe spring, are permitted to remain constant, if desired, while the location of the center of gravity of the weight device is varied as the special operating conditions of the moment require.

a The invention involves the provisionof a centrifugally operated weight device so mounted on a rotatory member that the center of gravity of the device may be adjusted very minutely to space the center of gravity a selected distance from the axis or rotation when the rotatory member is idle. This insures that the weight device will do its appointed work the instant the rotatory member reaches a rotating speed of the selected number of revolutions per minute. An important feature of the weight device thus constructed is the fact that the center of gravity variation is an operative feature of the device after its completed manufacture find final installation on the rotating memer. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction which is particularly adapted to be mounted in a housing carried by a rotatory member of the shaft type and within a housing arranged transverse to the axis of the shaft, the weight device being preferably of the spring-held plunger type. In this connection, a feature of the preferred construction is the provision of a weight device all the parts of which operate as one unit when subjected to the influence of centrifugal force: although these parts are, of course, preliminarily adjustable to predetermine the speed of rotation which will eflect a g1ven movement of the entire weight device, they will preferably be so arranged that they move as one unit parallel to each other and in the same direction. By means of a construction of this kind, the center of gravity of the weight device considered v sired; and varied quickly and conveniently and convenientato.-mount on. theirotatory member. or to adjust and readjust after being thus mounted.

The invention Will be more clearly understood from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating the invention, ofwhich Figural is a View in elevation, and Fi 2 is a section on the-line 272 ofFig. 1 I The rotatory member 3 is slotted as indicated to form a housing at for tlie -Weight de vice, the housing extending transverse to the axisof'the"rotatory'membei'; Housing '4 is shouldered-ate adjacent to oneend, and is provided with internal threadsat its-other end.

TllGWVElg'lll] (lQVlCBCOII'lPIlSES a plungeror sl1de p1ece6, a weight member 7, and a looking member 8. The slide-piece 6 acts as a support or carrier for theweight-member,"

the latter-having external threads which ooact with internal threads "in the hollow-portion 6 of the slide-piece. Tlielocking nem ber"8 is formed as an annulus with exterior threads, thesethreads alsocoacting with the internal threads; in the portion 6 of the Thai-Weight member and "the locking member are provided with kerfsf7 and 8 -formed as shown sothat both kerfs 5 are: always easily accessible and :so that either member may be spirally adj usted in slide-piece.

dependentof-the other.

The means for mounting ;the Weight device on the rotatory member comprises; in additionto the slot 'WlllCll'fOllflS the housing 4, flIl eXpanSlblB'COlLSPI'lIlQ 9 surrounding the slide piece and arranged between the internal shouldere 'ofthe housing and the exterior shouldert of the slide-piece, a key 10 by which the Weight device is restrained against angular movement Within the housing, and

an end-plug ll for limiting theextreme i111 Ward position ofthe' Weight device When the.

rotatory memberis idle. This end-plug carries external threads which co-act with theinternal threads at its end Oftlle housing andwis of annular form sO-tliat-after the,

weight device is {permanently installed on therotatory-member a suitabletool may be passed through the bore of the endplug to loosen the locking member 8, spirally" adjust the'yveight -member 7 and then tighten the 3 locking member to clamp the Weight member fastin its new location within the slide p ecer j Asa result of thus changing-the posit1ons -of--the*werght member 7 and its 'locking-anember- 8 on tlie slide-piece 6, the dis tance: separating the axis of rotation ot-the rotatory inembervfrom the' center of gravitv of the"entire.Weight'device is varied as deanduwithi'exceeding exactness, especially if the PZLITlJSt'fl-PG suitably calibrated.

In-operationythe weight device moves in the housing so: as =toproject the nose 6 an rises to the predetermined number of revoernoror any other suitable device. In the drawing a lever 12 is shown pivoted at 13 on a fixed support 14, arranged to be rocked i) ;ll zilOSG-fiP-piiO perform any required dune tion, when the nose is projected as indicated in broken lines. f

I claim: 7

1. In a device of'thekindwdescribed, the.

-- combinationofa rotatory member, a housing Withinthe rotatorymember and extending-t 'ansverseto the axis-of rotation ofthe' lutions per minute When .thusl projected the'nose 6 may actuate a latch,"'engine'gov rotatory--member, a Weight-device slidably mounted in I the housinggiand meansfor vieldingl-yf holding the weight device with its l center of gravity spaced ironr the axis of n tat-lonof a the rotatorymembenwhenthe lat ter is idle;- the Weight device including 3 slide-piece having *tln'eads and, a Weight membei'hcarriedby the slide-piece and hav ing threads coacti-ng with thethr'eads of the slide-piece, whereby the Weight member Ina-yr be spirally adjusted on -tlieslide piece "to varysaid 'predetermined-=distance when "the? rotatory member idle substantially as de scribed:

2. In a device of-the kind" describedythe combination of; a rotatory memben a home I mg carried b'ythe rotatorymemberand extend-ingti'ansverseto the axis ct rotation of the rotatorymember,a Weight carrierslida-f ably} arranged in the housing and laying. a

hollow internally"threaded.jend facing one end of the housing, an externally. threaded Weight member; adj u'stably mounted tvithiir the hollow threadedend of .the Weightcarrier, and spring means coaetingrwith the housingand Weight carrier for holding the latter to a predetermined position 1witlii'n 1 the' l 1oiising when the rotatory membe'r .is' idle substantially as described.'

3. In a device'of the kind described, the combination of a rotatory memberya housing carried by therotatory member and ex tend-mg transverse totheax1s of'rotation of carrier; and springmeans-coasting With the housingand' Weight carrierfor holding the substantially as described.

latter'to a predeterminedpositionwithin the housing when the rotatorymemberis idle;

4. The combination of a rotary; shaft ha'v- 1 ing a transverse opening therein; a weight located in the opening and movable under the influence of centrifugal force, a spring restraining outward movement of the Weight, the Weight consisting of a plurality of parts Which are relatively adjustable to vary the distance between the center of gravity of the Weight and the axis of rotation of said member when the member is at rest, and mechanism actuated by the movement of the weight; substantially as described.

5. The combination of a rotary shaft having a transverse opening therein, a Weight located in the opening and movable under the influence of centrifugal force, a spring restraining outward movement of the Weight, the Weight consisting of a plurality of parts which have threaded engagement and Which are adjustable relatively when the member is at rest in the direction of the axis of said transverse opening to vary the distance between the center of gravity of the Weight and the axis of rotation of said member, and mechanism actuated by the movement of the Weight; substantially as described.

6. The combination of a rotary shaft having a transverse opening therein, a Weight located in the opening and movable under the influence of centrifugal force, a spring restraining the outward movement of the Weight, the Weight consisting of a plurality of parts Which are adjustable relatively when the member is at rest to vary the distance between the center of gravity of the Weight and the axis of rotation of said member, means for locking the parts of the Weight in any selected position of relative adjustment, and mechanism actuated by the movement of the Weight; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

LYNDON B. TAYLOR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Gommiusloner of Patentm. Washington, D. 0. 

